The advent of portable electronic devices, especially portable personal computers, such as laptops, notebooks and the like, has spurred a desire to transfer data from one device to another without having to physically connect the two devices. One example of this is printing a document to a printer from a notebook type computer. In the past, this could only be accomplished by attaching a cable between a serial or parallel port on the computer and a serial or parallel port on the printer. To eliminate this problem, manufacturers have turned to infra-red (IR) data transfer wherein each device is provided with an infra-red data port, which often include both an infra-red source and an infra-red detector or receiver.
One of the drawbacks to the current state of the art is that the “field of view” of the infra-red transducers is limited to approximately 30°, i.e. 15° on both sides of the axis. This places limitations on where the user can position the devices since the data ports must more or less line up. For instance, if the notebook computer's IR port is located on the back panel of the computer and the printer's IR port is located on the front panel of the printer, the computer must be placed generally in front of the printer to complete the data transfer. This can be a problem if there isn't enough available space on the table or desktop in front of the printer.
An additional problem, which is present in some electronic device designs, is a consequence of the limited available space within the electronic device itself. For instance, in most laser printers the majority of the space of the printer is utilized by the print engine and paper transport mechanism leaving little room for supporting electronics. The printed circuit assembly (PCA) is often mounted towards the rear of the printer to allow for the rear panel wire connection. With this location of the PCA, the IR transducer must be remotely located to provide front panel access.
In an effort to reduce the amount of desk space a peripheral such as a printer uses, the placement of the PCA within the peripheral may not allow the IR transducer proper external access. Prior to the present invention, the solution was to physically locate the IR transducer where it would have the necessary external access while providing the electrical connection to and from the PCA via a wire harness. Such approach increases the cost and potentially creates RFI problems.